The impact of the quarantine on dogs

The confinement we are living through has some benefits for your dogs. Indeed, they get to spend plenty of time with their owners, who — for the most part — now have more spare time to look after them and play with them. Additionally, they can get plenty of walks, which is in their best interest as regular physical exercise is crucial for a dog’s health and balance.

However, an extended confinement may very well lead to various canine behavioral disorders. For instance, once life returns to normal, some dogs may develop separation anxiety — feelings of great anguish whenever their owner leaves the house. After several weeks of being around their owners 24/7, dogs are likely to panic when the owner suddenly goes back to work, leaving them alone 7 or 8 hours every day. The pets, not knowing if the owner will return at the end of the day, fear abandonment.

This high level of stress may trigger constant barking and whining, destructive tendencies towards furniture, clothes, shoes, or other objects around the house, and defecating on the floor. Some dogs exhibit only one of these behaviors, others express two, and those who are the most anxious will show all three. Dogs who have already been abandoned in their lives, and those who have already experienced separation anxiety, are at a higher risk of developing the disorder.

To prevent this issue, make sure to gradually re-accustom your dog to your absence. Start by leaving him/her alone for one or two minutes at a time before progressively increasing the duration of your separation. These exercises should be spread over several days and should be done in a calm and peaceful manner.

New family members

Over the course of this confinement, many people have taken the opportunity to adopt a new puppy. Indeed, training a pup takes time and is much more efficient when you are available and at home. However, new owners should know that young dogs go through a socialisation phase until they are 12 weeks old. Everything they live through and learn during that time will be viewed as normal and ‘part of their world’. Similarly, everything they have not seen during that time will be considered strange and unnatural, and will be dealt with apprehension later on in life.

For this reason, it is essential to properly socialise your puppy in order to raise a well-adjusted adult dog. Confinement should not mean “isolation” — for your pup of course! While respecting social distancing practices, it is necessary that you let your dog come across other people, other dogs, and everything else he/she will be exposed to in life. Provide your dog with plenty of activities; make him/her experience all kinds of situations.

A puppy who lives secluded and has poor life experiences for several weeks can develop phobias later on. But because of the current restrictions, you might find that you are having a hard time exposing your dog to real-life stimuli. In that case, I recommend using soundtracks from the internet. You can have him listen to car horns, traffic jams, road work, thunder sounds, etc.

Finally, if your dog develops a behavioural trouble — whether linked to the actual confinement or not — do not hesitate to contact a dog behaviourist for advice. The sooner you address the problem, the easier and quicker it can be resolved.

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Laurence Champagne was born in France, but has primarily lived in Canada. She is a certified dog behaviour consultant, offering effective and convenient solutions for clients' dog training needs. Find our more on her website, or Facebook page. When not helping clients to enjoy easier lives with their canine companions, she spends time with her dog, Qiwi, her cat, her husband, and their 3 teenage sons.